Ian Andreas Miller. 13 December 2002.
A large number of fan-created Web sites that deal with the Bish
jo Senshi S
r
M
n anime and manga attempt to explain the names of the main characters (and often provide erroneous information). However, few of them also explain the names of some of the minor characters. The names of several of the minor characters from the two continuities appear in this article. Explanations of those names also appear. Many of the kanji that are used to write the names are not meant to be interpreted literally. The literal meanings of some of the kanji may be eschewed in favor of the phonetic sounds that they represent. Nevertheless, the literal meanings and the phonetic sounds are included. The names that contain kanji that could be interpreted literally may indicate the personalities or rules of the characters with those names. In some cases, additional information that pertains to the names may show why the names were given to the characters.
Tsukino Household: Shingo, Ikuko, and Kenji
When the anime and manga begin, the Tsukino (
) household comprises four characters: Usagi, Shingo, Ikuko, and Kenji. Shingo, Usagi’s younger brother, writes his name in Japanese as 
. The kanji 
shin means progress, and the kanji 
go means enlightenment. (What an unusual name to give to a child who annoys Usagi so much!) Some fans have asked whether Shingo’s name means signal or not. Actually, the kanji that mean signal are actually 
shingo. Usagi’s mother, Ikuko, writes her name in Japanese as 
. The kanji 
iku means to rear, and the kanji 
ko means child. (Many Japanese female names end in that kanji). Kenji, Usagi’s father, writes his name in Japanese as 
. The kanji 
ken means modest, and the kanji 
ji means of. (Another reading of is no.) Naoko Takeuchi has a brother named Shingo, a mother named Ikuko, and a father named Kenji!
Friends at School: Naru and Umino
Usagi associates with several minor characters in school. Her friend Naru 
saka writes her name in Japanese as 
. Naru’s surname, saka, is also the name of a city in Japan. Those two kanji mean large slope. Naru’s personal name may refer to the Japanese term 
naru, which means to sound. The nerdy boy named Gurio Umino writes his name in Japanese as 
. The kanji 
umi means ocean, and the kanji 
no means field. His personal name, Gurio, comes from 
guri guri, which means to turn. He wears glasses that show swirls instead of his eyes!
The Sakuradas
One of Usagi’s eighth grade teachers, Haruna Sakurada, writes her name in Japanese as 
. The kanji 
sakura means cherry, 
da means rice field, 
haru means spring, and 
na means vegetable. There is a character in the Code-name Sailor V manga who has the name Natsuna Sakurada. She writes her name in Japanese as 
. In Natsuna’s case, the kanji 
natsu means summer. In The Cherry Project, there is a character named Fuyuna Sakurada who writes her name as 
. In Fuyuna’s case, the kanji 
fuyu means winter. In PQ Angels, there is a character named Akina Sakurada who writes her name as 
. In Akina’s case, the kanji 
aki means, of course, autumn. Perhaps these four characters are related!
Two Obscure Characters: Yumiko and Kuri
In the early parts of the Bishjo Senshi Sr Mn anime and manga, Usagi knows of two girls named Yumiko and Kuri. Unfortunately, Yumiko’s and Kuri’s surnames are never mentioned. Yumiko is the girl with the longer hair, and Kuri is the girl with the shorter hair. These two poor girls do not stay long in anime and manga continuities. They seem to be around simply to keep things interesting until more of the main characters appear. It is difficult to know exactly what Yumiko’s name means. She writes it in Japanese as 
. Kuri writes her name in Japanese as 
. The Japanese term 
kuri means chestnut.
Motoki, Unazuki, and Reika
Motoki Furuhata, Usagi’s friend who works at the Game Center Crown (an arcade) writes his full name in Japanese as 
. His younger sister, Unazuki, writes her name in Japanese as 
. Their surname, Furuhata, comprises the kanji . The kanji 
furu means old, and the kanji 
hata refers to a flag. Motoki’s contains the kanji . The kanji 
moto means origin, and the kanji 
ki means foundation. Unazuki’s name contains the kanji . The kanji 
u refers to the sky, the kanji 
na is a question word, and 
zuki means moon. Motoki’s girlfriend, Reika Nishimura, writes her name in Japanese as 
. It is not easy to figure out what her personal name means since she writes it in katakana characters. The kanji 
nishi means west, and 
mura means village.
Asanuma and Kotono
Itt
Asanuma and Kotono Sarashina are two characters who first appear in the Black Moon section of the Bishjo Senshi Sr Mn manga. (Asanuma also appears in anime episode 169. The young man is Asanuma because his name appears in the credits at the end of the episode.) The kanji 
represent Asanuma’s full name in the Japanese script. His personal name, Itt, means first class. The kanji 
asa means shallow, and the kanji 
numa means swamp. Kotono writes her name in Japanese as 
. Since her personal name is written in hiragana characters, it is not easy to know what it means. The kanji 
sara means to grow late, and the kanji 
shina means section.
Shingo’s Friend: Mika
Mika Kayama, who is Shingo’s female friend, writes her name in Japanese as 
. The Japanese term 
mika can mean jar. The kanji 
ka means incense, and the kanji 
yama means mountain. Ms. Takeuchi drew a picture of Mika, but it does not appear in the Materials Collection. That picture does appear in the Nakayoshi Anime Album for the first anime series.
J
ban Elementary: Kysuke, Momoko, and Sorano
Chibi Usa knows young man named Ky
suke Sarashina who writes his name in Japanese as 
. Kysuke talks about his sister, so he may be referring to Kotono. Those two characters have the surname Sarashina. The kanji 
ky means nine, and the kanji 
suke means help. Momoko Momohara, the girl at school who becomes Chibi Usa’s friend, writes her name in Japanese as 
. The momo parts of in her surname and personal name mean peach tree. The kanji 
hara means original, and the kanji ko means child. Chibi Usa knows of a nerdy boy named Gurio Sorano who writes his name in Japanese as 
. Sorano and Umino have the same personal name: Gurio! The kanji 
sora means empty and the kanji no means field.
Two Anime Characters: Yichir
and Ry
Only the Bishjo Senshi Sr Mn anime features the two characters named Yichir Kumada and Ryo Urawa. Yichir writes his name in Japanese as 
. His surname contains two kanji: the kanji 
kuma means bear, and the kanji da refers to a rice field. The personal name Yichir contains three kanji: the kanji 
y means male, the kanji 
ichi means one, and the kanji 
r means son. Most of the characters refer to Ry as Urawa, and he writes his full name in Japanese as 
. The kanji 
ura refers to a body of water, the kanji 
wa means peace, and the kanji ry means good.
Rei’s Grandpa
Many fans refer to Rei’s grandfather as “Grandpa Hino,” but he is simply called “Rei’s Grandpa” (
Rei no ojiisan) in the Japanese versions of the anime and manga. According to the manga, he is Rei’s maternal grandfather. In the anime, he looks like an old man with no hair. In the manga, he is a man with a mustache and blonde hair! (He looks like Motoki.)
